Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2525 – Hints
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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Monthly Archives: February 2010
NTSPP – 003 Review
February 27, 2010 – 5:00 pm
NTSPP – 003 Review
Home in the North West by Radler
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The following notes were written by Radler.
This isn’t a review as that’s not for me to provide! However, I write explanatory notes during the compilation process and it makes sense for me to make these available instead of somebody else undertaking the work. Please do comment to let me know what you liked or hated and which were the easier and harder clues. I do have my own favourites, but I’ll resist the temptation to say which they are; it’s your opinions that count.
NTSPP – 003
February 27, 2010 – 12:00 pm
Not the Saturday Prize Puzzle – 003
Home in the North West by Radler
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This is the third in a series of additional weekend puzzles.
This week we have a puzzle from Radler. Anax pointed him in the direction of the Alberich site (see the sidebar) and you will discover two more of his puzzles there. We are very pleased to be publishing a third puzzle by this setter.
As with last week’s puzzle, this one has a theme. You are strongly recommended to read the preamble as this explains that certain clues, have only wordplay and lack definition. The solving of 29,27 and 12,32 are key to the solving of the whole puzzle.
DT 26175 – Hints
February 27, 2010 – 2:00 am
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26175 – Hints
Big Dave’s Saturday Crossword Club
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ST 2524
February 26, 2010 – 12:00 pm
Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2524
A full analysis by Peter Biddlecombe
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** - Enjoyment ****
Back to normality after the Valentine puzzle – no theme, and unusually for BG, no &lits/all-in-ones. But there are a couple of unusual bits of wordplay. Well I said no theme, but several clues and wordplays have sporting references. Difficulty: pretty gentle.
Toughie 310
February 26, 2010 – 10:00 am
Toughie No 310 by Myops
I am about to tackle today’s Toughie. I may be gone for some time.
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** - Enjoyment ***
Did I have this one coming? After several weeks of easy-to-moderate Fridays this came along with “absolute stinker” tattooed on its forehead. Some tricky wordplay is combined with several very obscure answers.
There is a theme, but there is also a departure from the thematic norm in that the completed grid appears not to contain any thematic material. Instead, we have clues presented as rhyming couplets (hence the forward slash bits) and, spread among them in sequence, all twelve of the calendar months. As a result some of the surface readings come close to being nonsensical but that’s hardly surprising given the constraints imposed by two thematic elements.
DT 26174
February 26, 2010 – 8:00 am
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26174
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Having to describe every clue makes you realise how beautifully crafted all Giovanni’s clues are, with every word counting and no excess fat. I don’t think that this is one of his more difficult puzzles and it gives all solvers a very fair chance of completing it.
Leave us a comment, telling us how you got on and what you liked (or didn’t like) about it.
As always the answer to each clue is hidden between the curly brackets under the clue. To reveal an answer just drag your cursor through the white space between the brackets.
DT 26169
February 25, 2010 – 12:00 pm
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26169
Much Ado About Something
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** - Enjoyment ****
After what was a turbulent week for the site in one way or another, I was somewhat apprehensive when tackling this puzzle. Although I had resolved to simply review the clues and analyse them without overall comments, I feel I cannot let pass what for me was a really enjoyable puzzle and the sort that I look for in a Saturday puzzle, so thank you to Cephas.
Toughie 309
February 25, 2010 – 10:00 am
Toughie No 309 by MynoT
Brush up your Shakespeare!
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** - Enjoyment ****
It’s not unusual for MynoT to provide an education as part of his puzzles. Today’s lesson includes Shakespeare’s Othello, French and Greek history, motor cars and their drivers and Anglo-Saxon servants.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.
DT 26173
February 25, 2010 – 8:00 am
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26173
Hints and tips by Libellule
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** - Enjoyment ***
An interesting crossword today, I started this at a brisk gallop, and then started to slow down, and continued to slow down until the last clue went in. Some of it is very straightforward, some of it is more complicated, but all in all an enjoyable piece of entertainment.
Toughie 308
February 24, 2010 – 10:00 am
Toughie No 308 by Osmosis
Nailing Jelly to a Wall
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
Half the fun of an Osmosis puzzle, for me, is untangling some of the very convoluted wordplay with which he populates his puzzles. This one is no exception, and it also gives us a number of laughs. I really enjoyed it, but there are a number of questionable indicators (and one very dodgy homophone) which may provoke the odd comment!
Let us know what you thought of it – all comments are welcome.
DT 26172
February 24, 2010 – 8:00 am
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26172
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** - Enjoyment ****
Once again Jay delivers an excellent puzzle in the Telegraph genre.
Toughie 307
February 23, 2010 – 10:00 am
Toughie No 307 by Petitjean
Just the recipe!
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** - Enjoyment ****
Greetings from the Calder Valley and thanks to Big Dave and the others for covering for me during my short stay in hospital. Normally Big Dave and I play a guessing game just after midnight each Toughie Day trying to work out who the setter is. (Sad people that we are!) I looked at today’s just after the witching hour and came up with two suspects, but neither felt quite right. It therefore came as a pleasant surprise to find out that we were in the hands of a new setter today.
So welcome Petitjean, and judging by today’s encouraging start, I would think that we may be in for some entertaining puzzles. A couple of tiny gripes about one or two clues, but this is a most welcome addition to the Toughie panel with a puzzle much more worthy of the title than several recent ones. I look forward to the next one. Many of today’s Across clues or answers each had a food bent, although on occasion it was a little farci, as they say in France
DT 26171
February 23, 2010 – 8:00 am
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26171
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Today we have an entertaining puzzle from Shamus (I’m assuming that it’s by Shamus – apologies if I’m wrong). As I write, Clued Up is showing it with five stars for difficulty – I don’t think that our regular correspondents will find is as difficult as that. Let us know, via a comment, whether Clued Up is right or I’m right!
For new readers, the answer to each clue is hidden between the curly brackets under the clue; drag your cursor through the white space between the brackets to reveal it.
DT 26170
February 22, 2010 – 8:00 am
Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26170
Hints and tips by Rishi
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
A gentle, pleasant start to the week.
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